Ap14 01proof5

The Arc awards, Pg 11

Volume 25, Number 1 www.accesspress.org January 10, 2014

“In my country wego to prison firstand then becomePresident.”

— Nelson Mandela

NEWS DIGEST

INSIDE

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PAIDTwin Cities. MNPermit No. 4766

Address Service Requested

Our look back at what made 2013 headlines

Accessible Fun, pg 13

Events, pg 14

People & Places,pps 11-12

Radio Talking Book, pg 15

Regional News, pg 6

Facilityoperatedwithouta license

METO settlement - p. 13 Remembering - p. 3

2013 in review - p. 4

Remembering With Dignity not only replaces old numbered stones withmarkers. Artists with disabilities create portraits of those who were buriedat state institutions. The painting here is by Duluth resident BridgetRiversmith, a self-advocate and celebrated artist. The painting honorsGudrun Rafnson, born April 18, 1904 and died January 26, l916.

Remembering with Dignitywins national attention

Activist Rick Cardenas celebrates with Metropolitan Council represen-tatives, downtown residents and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman andCoundil Member Dave Thune at the tower groundbreaking.

File photo

JanuaryThe merger of Courage Center and Sister Kenny Rehabilita-

tion Institution was underway. The merger, which was completedin spring 2013, was the end of one era and the start of anotherfor two of Minnesota’s largest and oldest disability service orga-nizations. The merged organization took the name Courage Ken-ny Rehabilitation Institute under the umbrella of Allina Health.

Family caregivers, who had taken a 20 percent pay cut in2011, celebrated a legal victory. The Minnesota County of Ap-peals ruled that family caregivers shouldn’t be paid less thannon-family caregivers. The case, Healthstar Home Health Inc.,et al, vs. Jesson, was filed in the fall of 2011.

The Arc Minnesota honored three women for decades of ad-vocacy. Jane Donnelly Birks, Sally Swallen Helmerichs andMolly Woehrlin were recognized as pioneer lobbyists and advo-cates. Their work at the state capitol and elsewhere began in the1960s, at a time when it was uncommon to see women lobbyistsin that arena. They were honored not only for their years of hardwork, but for serving as an inspiration for many other families.

The newly reorganized Minnesota Consortium for Citizenswith Disabilities (MN-CCD) was starting the 2013 legislativesession with its first-ever executive director, Rebecca Covington.

FebruaryThe 2013 Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton

wound up an eventful first month. Dozens of bills affectingpeople with disabilities were introduced. Legislators and advo-cates were working toward their first deadline, March 15, whenbills needed favorable action from the House or Senate. Daytonannounced two major initiatives for people with disabilities. Apackage of reforms would provide better health care for 100,000Minnesotans and lower costs for taxpayers. In an effort to fur-ther improve the state’s Medicaid program, the Minnesota De-partment of Human Services (DHS) partnered with six healthcare providers to test a new payment model. The governor alsojump-started efforts toward completing Minnesota’s long-

by Jane McClure

The Minnesota SpecialtyHealth Systems facility inCambridge operated for 10months without a requiredstate license and then tried toconceal that status. Thoseactions brought a scoldingfrom U.S. District Court JudgeDonovan Frank, who mustnow decide how to sanctionthe Minnesota Department ofHuman Services (DHS).

Frank’s December 17memorandum is just the lat-est chapter in a long andtroubling saga centered onthe DHS-run facility. Duringits years as the MinnesotaExtended Treatment Options(METO) program, the Cam-bridge facility drew scrutinyfor its treatment of about 300residents with developmentaldisabilities. Use of seclusionand restraint were the majorproblems. Residents wererestrained and at times werephysically injured by staff,on top of the emotional inju-ries they sustained.

The MinnesotaDepartment of HumanServices presented itsCircle of ExcellenceAwards.2

Find a wide array ofresources through ourDirectory ofOrganizations.Pages 7-10

The recent METO casebrings back painfulmemories of New York’sWillowbrook institution.Page 2

Learn how to be anAccess Press IssueSponsor and enhancevisibility for yourorganization orbusiness.Page 3

Make a New Year’sresolution to join asupport group orfind a new activity.Page 14

by Access Press staff

Remembering With Dig-nity, the initiative to prop-erly mark graves at Minne-sota institutions, has re-ceived nationwide recogni-tion this winter. The pro-gram has been featuredtwice on PBS programs thiswinter, most recently on theNews Hour December 26. Itwas featured earlier on theReligion and EthicsNewsweekly show. See theshow at www.pbs. org/newshour/bb/nation/july-dec13/graves_12-26.html

Supporters note that thenational publicity, coupledwith statewide coverage inMinnesota newspapers and in broadcast media,has enhanced Remembering With Dignity’svisibility and has brought much-needed atten-tion to the forgotten people it honors. Articlesabout the program have appeared in the StarTribune and Pioneer Press. RememberingWith Dignity has also been featured on state-wide broadcast media over the past few months.It is a program of the statewide self-advocacygroup Advocating Change Together (ACT).

The PBS reports are by Fred de Sam Lazaro,as part of a reporting project funded by St.Mary’s University. His December 26 report beganat the Faribault State Hospital cemetery. “Onesolitary cross is all that suggests that this is acemetery, and perhaps that’s fitting,” he said.

“The several hundred people buried here spentmost of their lives invisible to the outside world.”

The report centers on the family of AlbertinePoitras. Her relatives had to go through histori-cal archives to find her numbered grave. Shewas developmentally disabled. Her familyplaced her at Faribault during the Great Depres-sion, when she was 34 years old. Family mem-bers believed they could no longer care for her.The program shows her grave with a namemarker, not a number, and family membershonoring her memory in a ceremony. The cer-emony included Poitras family members, ACTstaff and former Faribault residents.

Photo courtesy of Remember With Dignity

Pg 2 January 10, 2014 Volume 25, Number 1

HISTORY NOTE

Willowbrook case brought needed national reform

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons withdisabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. Wereserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material does not necessarilyreflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press.

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EDITOR’S DESKTim Benjamin

The recent sanctions in an ongoing federal courtcase focused on the former Minnesota ExtendedTreatment Options facility bring to mind how otherabuse cases brought changes in laws and practices.One of the nation’s most scandalous incidents wasexposed in the 1960s at the Willowbrook State Schoolon Staten Island in New York City. Willowbrookshaped state and federal laws and policies includingthe 1980 Civil Rights of Disabled Persons Act and the1990 Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA, but ittook decades of pain and struggles.

Willowbrook was planned in the late 1930s as ahome for children with intellectual disabilities, butinstead it opened in 1942 as a U.S. Army hospital. Inlate 1947 the New York State Department of MentalHygiene opened Willowbrook State School there asplanned.

Conditions were deplorable, with frequent out-breaks of hepatitis and controversial medical studiesduring its first decade. Willowbrook was designed tohouse up to 4,000 children with developmental dis-abilities. By 1965, it had a population of more than6,000 children. Willowbrook was the world’s largeststate-run institution of its kind. It had a reputation forhousing children that families and the care systemshad abandoned.

When New York Sen. Robert Kennedy touredWillowbrook in 1965, he was shocked. In an inter-view, Kennedy compared the residents’ living condi-tions to a “snake pit.” Kennedy declared that residentswere “living in filth and dirt, their clothing in rags, inrooms less comfortable and cheerful than the cages inwhich we put animals in a zoo.”

Others also drew attention to Willowbrook. A se-ries of articles in local newspapers described the hor-rible conditions and treatment of residents. Residents

suffered physi-cal and in somecases sexualabuse.

Public shockand outcry re-garding abuseand neglect ofresidents ex-ploded as organized parent protests and media ex-poses ignited mass awareness. In early 1972, GeraldoRivera, an investigative reporter for WABC-TV inNew York, was contacted by an activist physician re-cently fired for speaking out about the abysmal condi-tions. Rivera’s resulting exposé, Willowbrook: TheLast Great Disgrace, garnered national attention. Itwas a stinging indictment of institutionalization andtreatment of persons with developmental disabilities.Rivera won a Peabody Award and used the report toshine a spotlight on Willowbrook. He appeared on theDick Cavett Show and showed part of the expose. A class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court onMarch 17, 1972. It resulted in a settlement with NewYork’s State Department of Mental Hygiene on May5, 1975. It took years to implement and didn’t win fi-

nal approval until February1987. The settlement calledfor Willowbrook to close andresidents placed in the com-munity. The last residents leftin September 1987. Many inthe “Willowbrook Class” areadults living in communityfacilities throughout NewYork State. Some were fea-tured in the 1997 documen-tary Unforgotten: 25 YearsAfter Willowbrook. ■ The History Note is a

monthly column sponsored bythe Minnesota Governor’sCouncil on DevelopmentalDisabilities, www.mnddc.orgor www.mncdd.org andwww.partnersinpolicymaking.com

As we look ahead to 2014, I want to thank every-one for your financial generosity this past year to Ac-cess Press. Also, I want to thank everyone for yourconfidence in Access Press’ work to get the news toyou as soon as it happens. It’s our goal at AccessPress to keep you informed on important public is-sues for people with disabilities.

For years the state’s Department of Human Ser-vices has continuously tried new tactics to improvethe quality of Home- and Community-Based Services(HCBS), and for years the department has overlookedwhat I consider to be the quality elephant in the room:wage reimbursement rates for care professionals.How can the quality of care improve when being acaregiver is so poorly compensated? Where is the in-centive to do well and be professional?

Because members understand that wages have adirect relationship to quality, the Minnesota Consor-tium for People with Disabilities (MNCCD) is work-ing on the 5% Campaign, a request to the Minnesota

Legislature to increase the reimbursement rate forPersonal Care Attendants (PCA) and Direct SupportProfessionals (DSP). If we want to increase the qual-ity of care provided in the community by PCAs andDSPs, reimbursement to the agencies that employ di-rect caregivers needs at least to match what is offeredin institutions like hospitals and nursing homes. Homehealth agencies, like other businesses, have to findsome profit in order to provide quality services totheir employees and in turn to their clients. Whilenursing homes are often highly profitable, even thebest agencies—the ones that provide good workers,appropriate training and good backup support andalso maintain high standards for fraud control—arenot making financial ends meet. All of us who useHCBS have had our best care providers move on be-cause there are no incentives or proper compensationpackages for them to continue providing good care.Too often, PCAs are struggling to make a living evenas they help us to live our lives. I know of some whoare going to food shelves to provide food for theirown families. Five percent can make a difference, andwe need to make legislators understand that.

In other important legislative news, in the last weekof 2013, we were notified about the DHS formal re-quest to the federal government to continue using the1115 Medicaid Waiver for Minnesota. The waivercurrently allows the state, when determining Medic-

aid eligibility, to exclude spousal income for a mar-ried couple with one spouse using an HCBS waiver.The Affordable Care Act’s rules and financial stan-dards on spousal anti-impoverishment are good, espe-cially for seniors. For individuals whose home statedid not have a spousal disregard prior to the Afford-able Care Act, this policy will be an improvement.But Minnesota’s existing policy is fairer, especiallyfor any married couple under age 65 that has alreadybeen using Minnesota’s existing policies and planningtheir future accordingly. They should not be forced tolose assets in mid-life or as they are closing in on re-tirement. Remember, this only affects married coupleswith one spouse using HCBS’s waiver services forpersons under age 65 with disabilities. It’s not a lot ofus, but it’s a fair number who could lose homes, re-tirement accounts and many of the assets that peoplehave worked very hard to get.

Just a couple years ago, we were fighting to helpChuck Van Heuveln to protect the assets he’d built upover a lifetime of work. Like too many Americans, wehave to repeatedly fight to gain and protect the samerights. It’s a good thing we’re a determined commu-nity.

It’s a new year and it’s starting with record lowtemperatures. The meteorologists are saying that ithas been more than a decade since we’ve had thesekinds of cold temperatures. Well, we can probablycount on a warm-up—in the weather and in politics.

Stay warm and we’ll talk soon. ■

January 10, 2014 Volume 25, Number 1 Pg 3

One way to support Access Press is through issue sponsorships. An issue spon-sorship provides statewide publicity and visibility to a business or an organization.Partnering with Access Press as an issue sponsor also helps Access Press continueits mission as Minnesota’s disability news source, with news and information byand for people with disabilities.

Access Press invites all disability community members to consider becomingissue sponsors in 2014 and beyond. Access Press has a broad reach across the stateand region. Readership is estimated to be about 30,000 people. Each month, morethan 11,000 newspapers are printed anddistributed to more than 300 Twin Cit-ies locations. Newspapers are also dis-tributed to more than a dozen loca-tions in Greater Minnesota andNorth Dakota. Approximately 450subscribers, all across the country,receive a hard copy of the paper.The website is accessed regularlywith hundreds of hits. Facebook andTwitter feeds are closely followed.

Issue sponsorships can be utilizedin many ways. UCare uses its spon-sorship of the August issue to high-light its work, in an issue that is dis-tributed at the Minnesota State Fair.That gives UCare more visibilityacross the region.

An issue sponsorship can be used to celebrate a major anniversary for a businessor nonprofit, mark a major expansion or announce a name change. Sponsorships canalso coincide with a month when a specific disability or disabilities are highlighted.For example, a jobs training firm could be the issue sponsor during Disability Em-ployment Month (October). A group that advocates for persons with cerebral palsycould be an issue sponsor during Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month (March).

Yet another way to use an issue sponsorship is to spotlight a major event, suchas a gala or annual conference.

Issue sponsors are recognized in print and with a highlighted ad in the AccessPress online edition. Two levels of sponsorship are available. Issue sponsorships

Sponsorships bring visibility, help Access Pressare first come, first served. Only one Gold Level sponsor and up to two SilverLevel sponsors will be considered for a single issue.

For the Gold Level Sponsorship, sponsors are recognized on page one of theprint edition and with an advertisement on the front page of the online edition. Ifthe sponsorship promotes an event, an online ad is also displayed on the events page.

Sponsors receive a prominently placed, 400-word article in the print edition andonline. Print placement options are available. For example, an upcoming event ar-ticle can be placed on a calendar page. Others can be placed in the People and

Places pages.Access Press staff can work with

sponsors on copy and photos. Goldsponsors can also provide their ownphotos, text and logos. Gold sponsors also are recognizedin a 1/12 page house advertisementshonoring all issue sponsors. Thisruns for a full year. Sponsors alsoreceive up to 300 papers for anevent or other promotional pur-poses, five subscriptions and a copyof The Real Story, the Access PressDVD on disability and the media. A Gold Level Sponsorship is agreat way to commemorate a keydate in an organization’s history orto spotlight an organization or busi-ness and its work.

For the Silver Level Sponsorship, the sponsors are recognized on page one of theprint edition and online. Sponsors also receive a 200-word, prominently placed ar-ticle. Placement options are available as they are on the Gold sponsor. AccessPress staff can work with sponsors on copy and photos. Silver sponsors can alsoprovide their own photos, text and logos.

Silver sponsors also are recognized in a 1/12 page house advertisements honor-ing all issue sponsors. This runs for a full year. Sponsors also receive up to 100papers for an event or other promotional purposes, and a copy of The Real Story.

A Silver Level Sponsorship is a great way to give enhanced visibility andprominence to an upcoming event.

Regular Access Press advertisers receive a discount for becoming an issue spon-sor. Contact Tim Benjamin, executive director at Access Press, for details on be-coming an issue sponsor, at 651-644-2133. ■

Family member Blair Poitras said, “You go through different emotions. You go,well, how come your family members didn’t tell you about this person? And justto be buried as a number . . .”

Those involved in Remembering with Dignity, which has marked more than7,000 graves in recent years, described its importance in the PBS stories.

“The Jewish saying is that you die twice,” said Halle O’Falvey, who works withRemembering With Dignity. “You die once, when you do die, but the second timeyou die is when your name isn’t spoken anymore.

Mary Kay Kennedy, co-director of ACT, described the 2010 Minnesota StateLegislature’s apology to those who lived and died in state institutions likeFaribault. Faribault began as a residence for people with developmental disabili-ties. It is now part of the state’s correctional system.

Kennedy told the PBS reporter that Faribault’s population peaked in the 1950s,at 3,355 people, which was about 45 percent over capacity. She noted that whathad started in the 19th century as an innovative program had evolved into a placewhere only basic physical needs were met.

Anyone wanting to learn more about Remembering with Dignity can attendthe 10 a.m. service at Hamline Church United Methodist, 1514 Englewood Ave.,St. Paul on Sunday, January 26. People from the program are guest speakers. Theday is United Methodist Women’s Sunday and the service is a reflection on the2014 UMW theme of “The Church and Disability.” The event is open to the publicand will include a self-advocates’ art show honoring the lives of those buried atstate institutions. Access the church from the Englewood alley door, where there isan elevator. ■

Remembering - from p. 1


Diamond Hill TownhomesDiamond Hill Townhomes is a great property located near theMinneapolis International Airport. We have spacious two and threebedroom townhomes that are HUD subsidized and rent is 30% of thetotal household’s adjusted gross income.

Our Three Bedroom waiting list is closed. We are only acceptingapplications for our Two Bedroom accessible units.

We are always accepting applications for our large number of mobilityimpaired accessible units. Please contact us for more information.

We look forward to hearing from you!Please call (612) 726-9341.

2013 in review - from p. 1

2013 in review - p. 5

awaited Olmstead Plan. A group would develop and implement a plan to supportfreedom of choice and opportunity to live, work and participate in the most inclu-sive setting for individuals with disabilities.

When guardians and conservators financially or physically abuse their clients’vulnerabilities, the results can be disastrous. Recent cases in Minnesota illustratewhy more protections were needed, according to Attorney General Lori Swanson.

The ReelAbilities Film Festival announced its first showings in Minnesota. Theevent is the largest festival in the country dedicated to promoting awareness andappreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities.Partnership Resources, Inc. was leading the planning.

MarchMinnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) officials were criticized in a

Minnesota Legislative Auditor’s report. The report indicated that new ways mustbe found to manage state-operated facilities and services for people with mentalillness, chemical dependency and developmental disabilities. A number of prob-lems were found, topped by what was described as inadequate oversight and ac-countability. Auditor James Nobles told state lawmakers that the audit revealed“significant and persistent problems.”

Medical suppliers and their clients were coping with a federal change that re-stricts where supplies and equipment can be purchased. Minnesota-based KeyMedical Supply had sued federal health and human services officials over a newfederal competitive bidding program. The Key Medical case was dismissed byU.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank on technical grounds. The case was laterrefiled. The restrictions on where clients canpurchase supplies and equipment, and get equip-ment repaired, were causing great concern.

Home health care workers were seeking theright to unionize, one of many issue before the2013 Minnesota Legislature. The legislation tar-geted workers who aren’t employed by an agency.

The Northland 300 Ride marked its 25th yearof snowmobile riding fun.

AprilMinnesotans with disabilities and senior citi-

zens objected to a new state law limiting earn-ings for those on Minnesota’s Medicaid orMedical Assistance (MA) program. The changeis tied to the federal Affordable Care Act. It wascriticized by the state’s disability groups be-cause it specifically leaves out Minnesotans with disabilities, while allowing othermedical program participants to earn more. The push to support fair health carepolicy for all was a key focus during the 2013 legislative session. The MinnesotanConsortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD) noted that the new lawleaves people with disabilities and seniors behind. MN-CCD and ADAPT-MNwere among the groups working to address the issue. The objection centers on thefact that people with disabilities and seniors who don’t have earned income andwho live on income from Social Security must give the state hundreds of dollarsthrough a spend-down before they can gain access to the MA program.

More than 190 farmers and ranchers with disabilities, speakers and vendors tooka break from spring work to attend the National AgrAbility training conferenceheld April 8-11 in Bloomington. Farmers and ranchers with disabilities are servedby the AgrAbility project, which just marked its 20th anniversary nationally.

MayCuts to services for people with disabilities have devastating effect on families

who are draining savings accounts and selling assets to pay for their children’smedical supports. Adults without assistance are struggling to meet even basicneeds. But until state legislators raise revenues, challenges will continue. That wasthe message self-advocates and families took to the capitol during the annual Dis-ability Day at the Capitol April 25.

When light rail trains begin operations on the Central Corridor or Green Lineroute in 2014, getting to some stations may be easier said than done. Sidewalksleading to University Avenue are broken, narrow, overgrown with brush and trees,or are poorly lit. And that’s where there are sidewalks. The Green Line Walkabil-

ity Study: Routes to Rails in the Central Corridor was released by the DistrictCouncils Collaborative. It is seen as the first step in making changes. Activistswere also campaigning to get downtown St. Paul skyway connection to light rail.Access Press hosted guests from Baku, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. Theguest from Azerbaijan was in this country to learn about how to create a more fa-vorable environment for children with disabilities in his own country. The CzechRepublic delegation was a Rotary-sponsored group learning about the news media.

JuneFor Minnesotans with disabilities, family members and caregivers, the 2013 ses-

sion of the Minnesota Legislature was remembered for key gains and major disap-pointments. A number of investments in health care marked the session. Minne-sotaCare was preserved and Medicaid expanded. Steps were taken to implement theAffordable Care Act, including the creation of an insurance exchange. More moneywas found for special education, with an additional $40 million passed as part of the$15.7 billion education budget. Autism insurance changes also met cheers. But noteveryone benefited from the state’s $38.3 billion budget. Personal care attendantssaw only a modest rate increase, which meant planning got underway for 2014. After a combined 27 hours’ debate on the floors of the Minnesota House and Sen-ate, about 21,000 Minnesotans who provide state-paid personal care attendant servicesor child care won the right to unionize. Foes of the measure have vowed to take legalaction to block it. The groups have until 2017 to decide whether or not to organize. Longtime job service organization Midway Training Services changed its name toAlly People Solutions. The new name was seen as more reflective of the nonprofitorganization’s mission and services.

July July 1 was a significant date for Minnesotanswho rely on medical supplies for daily living.New federal regulations on competitive biddingfor Medicare suppliers took effect in the TwinCities region. People questioned where supplieswould come from and if costs would increase.While some suppliers contend that neededmedical goods would arrive with little disrup-tion and at the same or lower costs, clients andother suppliers worried about quality of prod-ucts, long shipping delays and how equipmentwould be serviced. Some suppliers feared lostbusiness and ultimately economic survival, aswell as client harm. “If even one person is in-jured due to competitive bidding, it’s unaccept-

able,” said Mike Bailey, chief executive officer of St. Paul-based Handi MedicalSupply.

Minnesotans weighed in on quality of life issues as part of the state’s OlmsteadPlan. Release of an 83-page draft plan and opportunity to comment drew a largecrowd June 19 to the DS Event Center in St. Paul.

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid celebrated its centennial. The agency, which includesthe Disability Law Center, has a long tradition of representing the legal rights ofpeople with disabilities, senior citizens and low-income Minnesotans.

AugustJust 5 percent. That is what Minnesotans with disabilities, aging adults, care

providers, family members and advocates are requesting from state lawmakers.The 5% Campaign was gaining momentum to reverse years of funding cuts to re-imbursement rates to home and community based services. Advocates with dis-abilities, older adults, caregivers, providers and family members throughout Min-nesota sought what they call a “long-overdue” rate increase. Nursing home work-ers received a 5 percent reimbursement increase from state lawmakers in 2013. Butfacilities and direct support providers for people with disabilities and aging adultsonly saw a 1 percent increase in the final health and human services bill.

Voting changes would take effect in the fall and in 2014. The most anticipatedchange starts in 2014 when No Excuses Absentee Voting begins. Many Minneso-tans with disabilities and senior citizens use absentee voting as a means to cast bal-lots without waiting in long lines or arranging transportation. The law allows thevoter to claim permanent absentee voter status, getting an absentee ballot mailedbefore each election.

Anne Henry gave testimony on Income Standards to the House Health andHuman Service committee.

File photo


2013 in review - from p. 4Several University of Minnesota Gopher football

players made a surprise appearance for campers andstaff at Camp Friendship. Football players and camp-ers had a fun day together, which ended with camperslining up for autographed maroon and gold t-shirts.

SeptemberConstruction was underway on a new vertical con-

nection between downtown St. Paul streets and theskyway system. The elevator and stairway towerwould connect to bus routes and the new METROGreen Line light rail, which opens in mid-2014. RickCardenas, co-director of Advocating Change To-gether, was the leaders in getting the $1.7 million con-nection built. A combination of funders paid for theelevator project.

Longtime services provider Dakota Communitieshad a new name and logo. Living Well Disability Ser-vices was the chosen name to better reflect theagency’s work in providing residential care in client’shomes, as well as in its own group homes.

Camps of Courage and Friendship (now True Friends)announced a new partnership with Creative LearningIdeas for Body and Mind or CLIMB Theater. The camp-ing program added the theater program to its extensivelist of offering. The program is the result of a mergerbetween Camp Courage and Friendship Ventures.

Augsburg College’s Cal Appleby topped a field of13 candidates for the 2013 Access Press Charlie SmithAward.

OctoberComputer problems at the state level delayed pay-

checks and hiring of staff bedeviled home health careand personal care attendant agencies around the state.The Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Min-nesota Information Technology Services (MN-ITS)system, which is used by Minnesota Health Care Pro-grams providers, had been malfunctioning for almosta month. Agencies that file receipts through the sys-tem must do so to get Medicaid reimbursements.About 52,000 providers use MN-ITS to issue payrolland to check the backgrounds of prospective workers.

The Olmstead Plan Subcabinet was wrapping up itswork. The subcabinet posted a final draft of the planon the DHS website, including comments gatheredfrom hearings around the state. The plan describeshow the state is to provide services to people with dis-abilities, in the most integrated settings appropriate totheir needs. While the plan won praise for addressingsome issues, some parts of the plan were criticized.One area of criticism was mental health services.

Planning was underway for the Twin Cities’ hosting

of Reelabilities, a film festival dedicated to promotingawareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artis-tic expression of people with disabilities.

November The 5% Campaign continued to gain momentum,with a huge rally at the capitol and statewide out-reach. The goal was to get legislators to pledge sup-port for a 5 percent personal care attendant wage in-crease before the 2014 legislative session began.Many disability advocacy groups were involved withthe campaign, which was a focus during a series ofMN-CCD meeting during the fall. Gov. Mark Daytontold advocates that while he agreed with the pay eq-uity issues being raised, he was concerned about long-term impacts on state spending.

The Olmstead Plan was released November 1, to

criticism and praise. State leaders said that plan wouldbe an evolving document with regular reviews and up-dates. The plan helps the state document its services forpeople with disabilities including housing, education,health care, transportation and employment.

Access Press Charlie Smith Award winner Cal Ap-pleby was honored by a full house at the newspaper’sannual award banquet. Appleby and two deceased Augs-burg College colleagues, Vern Bloom and Wayne “Mo”Moldenhauer did much to serve people with disabili-ties, especially in providing access to higher education.

DecemberThe 5% Campaign made itself heard. Hundreds of

supporters jammed all three levels of the capitol ro-tunda November 12 in a show of force before the2014 Minnesota Legislature convenes February 25.Self-advocates, organization representatives, families,personal care attendants and direct support providersturned out to support the call for a 5 percent rate in-crease for home- and community-based services forpeople with disabilities. They were also joined byseveral of their Minnesota legislative allies.

Old tangled and broken piles of Christmas lightstrings could be recycled through January 31 and pro-vide jobs for people with disabilities. Help the envi-ronment by replacing old lights with new, energy-effi-cient lights. Help employ people with disabilities andhelp reach the goal of collecting and processing200,000 pounds of lights this season. Recycle YourHolidays is a one-of-a-kind statewide holiday lightrecycling program in Minnesota created and managedby the Recycling Association of Minnesota.

Access Press released The Real Story in Octoberafter a year of production and is offering DVDs forsale. The documentary examines media coverage ofdisability issues in Minnesota and nationally and ex-amines the role of mainstream media in reporting onissues important to all people with disabilities. It hadits first premiere at the University of Minnesota’sMcNamara Alumni Center in late October. (Addi-tional film showings can be hosted by contactingAccess Press.) ■

Steve Larson, The Arc Minnesota's public policy director, ex-plains the plight of families as self-advocates look on.

File photo


Autism studied in Somali community

REGIONAL NEWSGreat strides in federal hiring

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)announced that in Fiscal Year 2012, people with dis-abilities were hired at a higher percentage than at anypoint in the past 32 years. Additionally, people withtargeted disabilities were hired at a higher percentagethan at any time in the past 17 years. This success hasalso led to more people with disabilities serving infederal service than at any time in the past 32 years.

“People with disabilities are a vital part of the fed-eral workforce, as we are better able to serve theAmerican people because of the talents and experi-ence they bring to the table,” said Office DirectorKatherine Archuleta. “Since President Obama issuedhis Executive Order in 2010, we’ve made substantialprogress in hiring and retaining people with disabili-ties over the past three years. This work is enablingthe federal government to continue to develop as amodel employer for people with disabilities.”

According to the “Employing People with Disabili-ties in the Federal Executive Branch” report in FY2012, federal employees with disabilities represented11.89 percent of the overall workforce, including vet-erans who are 30 percent or more disabled. 16 percentof new hires in FY 2012 were people with disabilities,up from 14 percent in FY 2011. Additionally, 14 per-cent of General Schedule grade 14 and 15 new hiresin FY 2012 were people with disabilities, up from 12percent in FY 2011. On July 26, 2010, PresidentBarack Obama issued Executive Order, IncreasingFederal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities,in which he stated that the federal government mustbecome a model for the employment of individualswith disabilities.

To view the report, visit: http://tinyurl.com/dis-employment ■

(Source: Office of Personnel Management)

Westrom to run for CongressSen. Torrey Westrom (R – Elbow Lake) is running for

Congress in Minnesota’s 7th District. Westrom announcedlast month he is running for the seat currently held byDemocrat Collin Peterson. Westrom is one of Minne-sota’s most high-profile elected officials with a disability.

Westrom lost his sight at the age of 14 in a farm-related accident. As an elected official, he has been astrong advocate for people with disabilities. He has longworked to eliminate barriers to help them become moreindependent in their living and employment opportuni-ties. He was first elected to the Minnesota House of Rep-resentatives in 1997, and later elected to the Senate.

Westrom is a conservative with a record of creatingrural jobs and ensuring that the government operateswithin its means. Westrom is a strong supporter ofsmaller government and supports the need for a bal-anced budget amendment.

Westrom grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm. Heand his wife, Anna, are small business owners. Theyhave three children. To learn more, visit www.TorreyWestrom2014.com ■

(Source: Westrom for Congress)

Anti-bullying bill to returnAnti-bullying groups held rallies in St. Paul and

Duluth December to renew efforts to pass a statewideanti-bullying law. A stronger law is sought by manygroups, including parents of children with disabilities.They contend current law is too vague and is ineffective.

Rallies across the state called for a new anti-bully-ing law to replace Minnesota’s short, 37-word statute.Schools are required to have anti-bullying policies.Critics say the current law is among the weakest inthe nation. A proposed law, to be introduce during the2014 legislative session, would include detailed defini-tions of bullying, require schools to teach staffers howto see it and stop it, and investigate all reported cases.

Foes of the proposals criticize it as having highcosts for schools. They also claim it is too vague andpotentially intrusive. Some school districts have ob-jected to changing the law.

The Minnesota Legislature failed to pass an anti-bullying bill in 2013, despite efforts by many advo-cacy groups to get a bill passed. ■

(Source: WCCO-TV).

The incidence of autism spectrum disorder is higheramong Somali children in Minneapolis, higher than thecity’s children as a whole. It also appears to affect themmore severely, according to University of Minnesota re-searchers. This announcement confirms suspicions ofmany parents in the city’s large East African community.

Somali children were more likely to have the disor-der than non-Somali children in the city, the studyfound. The study didn’t explore why and didn’t spec-ulate on possible reasons. But the findings back up thecommon belief among Somalis in Minneapolis thattheir children suffer from high rates of the disorder,said Amy Hewitt, the lead researcher on the study.

“A lot of children in the city of Minneapolis, includ-ing Somali children, have autism spectrum disorder andmany of them are getting diagnosed late,” Hewitt said inan interview. “The average was five years. Kids can bereasonably diagnosed at age 2. So it’s really importantto get these kids and families connected to services.”

According to the study, about 1 in 32 Somali childrenages 7 to 9 were identified with autism spectrum disorderin Minneapolis in 2010, compared with 1 in 48 Minne-apolis children overall. The incidence was 1 in 36 Cauca-sian children, which the researchers said was not a sta-tistically significant difference from the Somali figure.

The Minnesota researchers said they reviewedmore than 5,000 clinical and school records, using es-tablished CDC statistical methods for estimating theprevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a commu-nity. The study looked only at data from Minneapolis,the center of Minnesota’s Somali community, whichis the largest in the United States. The study wasfunded by the CDC, the National Institutes of Healthand Autism Speaks. Read more about the MinnesotaSomali Autism Spectrum Disorder PrevalenceProject: http://rtc.umn.edu/autism ■

(Source: Star Tribune)


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PEOPLE & PLACESTwo Minnesotansare 2013 Heroes of The Arc

A self-advocate and a parent of a child with dis-abilities are the 2013 Heroes of The Arc. CharlieApplequist of Rochester and Stewart Shaw of Winonawere honored at the annual Heroes Luncheon Decem-ber 6 in Roseville.

Applequist, who serves as vice-chair of the south-eastern Minnesota chapter of Self-Advocates Minne-sota, has been a leader in The Arc and other self-ad-vocacy organizations for more than two decades. Hismany activities on behalf of people with disabilitieshave included serving as a board member for PeopleFirst Minnesota since 1991 and serving on the boardof The Arc Minnesota, including service as board sec-retary. The veteran self-advocate frequently speaks atlocal forums of elected officials and at the capitol. Healso frequently gives time to do news media inter-views, speaking about the services he and others re-ceive, and the importance of funding support services.

“Speaking up for yourself is so important,” Apple-quist said. “I know by telling my story, I’m helpingothers and helping legislators understand the needs ofself-advocates and the services we depend on.”

Applequist also is an active member of Remember-ing with Dignity, the statewide organization dedicatedto remembering those who died at Minnesota stateinstitutions in the past century aren’t forgotten. TheRemembering with Dignity organization works tomark residents’ graves with individual names and notthe numbered markers used for decades.

Shaw began his involvement in The Arc when hissecond son, David, was born with Down syndrome.He and his wife Kay joined the local chapter of TheArc in St. Paul, where they lived at the time.

“I did not anticipate learning anything about peoplewith developmental disabilities or working on theirbehalf until David was diagnosed,” Shaw said.“Throughout my many experiences with The Arc

Minnesota and Home and Community Options, I haveenjoyed working with wonderful, caring people.Whatever successes we enjoyed were the results ofteam effort. I played my role, and other people did aswell—with excellence.”

After his son was born, Shaw began working onprojects to improve educational, employment, recre-ational, and living opportunities for everyone with in-tellectual and developmental disabilities. He eventu-ally became a leader with The Arc Minnesota andserved as its board president. Shaw has an extensivelist of activities that have benefited people with devel-opmental disabilities and The Arc. He championedthe movement of people with developmental disabili-ties from the state institutions to life in the commu-nity. He also helped start and build The ArcMinnesota’s planned giving program to create a moresustainable future for the agency.

After moving from St. Paul to Winona, he becamea dedicated leader for Home and Community Options,Inc., serving as board president and chair of manycommittees in the agency. Shaw continues his publicpolicy advocacy by meeting with local legislators,writing letters to the editor, and speaking up for pro-posals that improve the quality of services and raise thewages of staff that support people with disabilities.

Leaders in The Arc praised the heroes. “Charlie has

been one of the most dedicated Minnesotans with dis-abilities that I’ve known who speaks up for the rightsand dignity of people with developmental disabili-ties,” said Buff Hennessey, executive director for TheArc Southeastern Minnesota in Rochester. “His voicehas been heard in Rochester, throughout southeasternMinnesota and at the state capitol.”

“During the holidays, we gave thanks for thepeople who have made a difference on our lives,” saidDennis Theede, development director for Home andCommunity Options and past president of The ArcMinnesota. “Those of us involved in disability ser-vices and advocacy included people like Stewart, whohave helped make it possible for Minnesotans withdisabilities to get the support they need to be fullmembers of our communities. His service and advo-cacy for people with disabilities are broad-based, con-sistent, and substantial. He truly qualifies as a Hero ofThe Arc.”

The Arc Minnesota is a non-profit organization thatpromotes and protects the human rights of peoplewith intellectual and developmental disabilities andactively supports their full inclusion and participationin the community throughout their lifetimes. It has 12affiliated local chapters and more than 3,500 membersacross the state of Minnesota. Learn more about TheArc Minnesota’s activities and services atwww.arcmn.org ■

Past Presidents of The Arc Minnesota Stewart Shaw (left)and Dennis Theede celebrated Stewart’s recognition at TheArc Minnesota Heroes Luncheon.

Charlie Applequist shows Karli Harguth the award hereceived at The Arc Minnesota’s Heroes Luncheon.

Photos courtesy of The Arc Minnesota

The Amputee Coalition has announced its 2014officers and board of directors. Minnesotan Leslie PittSchneider is treasurer. Dennis Strickland of Georgiais chairman and Marshall J. Cohen of New York isimmediate past chair.

Other officers include chair-elect Dan Berschinskiof California; vice chair Jeff Lutz of Louisiana andsecretary Mahesh Mansukhani of California. Each of-ficer will serve a one-year term.

“We are fortunate to have such accomplished boardmembers who are also dedicated and passionate aboutserving the limb loss community,” said Sue Stout, in-terim president & CEO of the Amputee Coalition.“The depth of their backgrounds and expertise is in-valuable to the coalition.”

Continuing on the Amputee Coalition Board areRon Drach of Maryland; Michael Estrada of NorthCarolina; Col. Gregory D. Gadson of Virginia;Terrence P. Sheehan, MD, of Maryland; and CharlieSteele of North Carolina.

According to Strickland, the board anticipates ex-panding and adding additional board members overthe next 18 months. The Virginia-based group is a na-tional nonprofit organization whose mission is “toreach out to and empower people affected by limbloss to achieve their full potential through education,support and advocacy, and to promote limb loss pre-vention.” ■

Minnesotan joins amputees’ boardPlayground fund drive continues

Turtle Lake Elementary PTA Playground Leader-ship has received a $20,000 investment from the PaulAdelman Children with Disabilities EndowmentFund. The group is working to build a fully accessibleplayground at the Shoreview school and has con-ducted the “A Playground for Everyone” campaignfor several months.

The school, which has more than 1,000 students, ispart of the Mounds View School District. As of mid-December, the Turtle Lake Elementary PlaygroundCommittee had raised $110,290. The group is work-ing to raise $280,000 by April 1. For detailed infor-mation on this project and the benefits of inclusiveplay visit http://turtlelakeplayground.weebly.com ■


Arc Greater Twin Cities awarded grant

PEOPLE & PLACESFAST, Therapy Dogs Chapter 125are among DHS honorees

Eight Minnesota organizations were honored with2013 Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Awards inDecember. Presented by Minnesota Department ofHuman Services (DHS) Commissioner LucindaJesson, the awards are for organizations that makeoutstanding contributions to human services programclients. This is the third year for the awards.

Recipients were recognized at a ceremony at theElmer L. Andersen Human Services Building in St.Paul. Jesson noted that the winners stand out amongmany organizations providing critical human servicesprograms and promoting healthy and productive com-munities in Minnesota,

“Our vision at the Department of Human Servicesis healthy people, stable families and strong commu-nities, but we know that we won’t get there alone,”said Jesson. “The people and organizations being rec-ognized today represent the very best of the manysuccessful partnerships we have across Minnesota.”

Several of the organizations honored serve peoplewith disabilities and the elderly. One honoree is Fami-lies Achieving Success Today (FAST), a pilot initia-tive funded and led by Ramsey County Workforce So-lutions. FAST provides integrated and co-located em-ployment and mental and physical health services toRamsey County’s Minnesota Family Investment Pro-gram clients with disabilities. These clients might oth-erwise apply for Supplemental Security Income orhave difficulty engaging in employment services.

FAST supports the belief that every parent canwork to some degree and provides the opportunity forparents to obtain employment and utilize extra help toretain their jobs over time. FAST partners includeGoodwill Easter Seals as a lead agency, along withHIRED, Open Cities Health Center and People Incor-porated Mental Health Services.

Therapy Dogs International Chapter #125 was alsohonored by Jesson. The group is a chapter of TherapyDogs International and serves the Twin Cities metroarea with more than 80 certified handler-dog teams.

Since the 1980s, Therapy Dogs International Chap-ter #125 dogs have provided emotional comfort bysharing unconditional love and affection throughregular visits to the Anoka-Metro Regional TreatmentCenter, hospitals, schools, nursing homes and otherlocations. Research has shown that therapy dogs havemany benefits including lowering blood pressure and

cholesterol levels, increasing survival rates of peoplewho have suffered cardiac arrest, easing depression,increasing patient and staff morale, providing socialstimulation and improving quality of life.

Jesson honored the Mental Health Crisis Alliance,a coalition of health plans, the state of Minnesota andconsumer groups working together to improve themental health crisis system in Ramsey, Dakota andWashington counties. The Mental Health Crisis Alli-ance formed as a result of a system-wide crisis thatwas sending mentally ill patients far from home to re-ceive inpatient psychiatric care.

In 2011 the alliance created the new Urgent Care forAdult Mental Health in St. Paul to consolidate and integrateservices, providing immediate crisis services to people inneed. The Urgent Care for Adult Mental Health is the firstsuch facility in the state and has measurably improvedoutcomes for consumers and reduced system costs.

Another winner is Fairview Partners, a nonprofitorganization based in Edina. Fairview Partners hasbeen providing care to seniors since 1996, includingparticipants in the Minnesota Senior Health Optionsprogram. Fairview Partners exists as a collaborativepartnership to enhance the quality of life and healthstatus for older adults in the seven-county metro areaby providing proactive and coordinated care manage-ment in the most appropriate environment. Due to theunique partnerships that comprise Fairview Partners,there is a commitment to collaboration through jointdecision-making, fiscal responsibility and quality out-comes.

Other winners include Alexandria’s Caring HandsDental Clinic and its work to provide services to thosein need; Bemidji’s Conifer Estate’s transitional hous-ing program for homeless families; the statewide hun-ger relief organization Hunger Solutions Minnesota;and the White Earth Band of Ojibwe Indian ChildWelfare Program in the Becker, Clearwater andMahnomen counties area. ■

Therapy Dogs International Chapter #125, a volunteer or-ganization serving the Twin Cities metro area with therapydog visits to various locations, brought four-legged friendsto the event. Pictured left to right are Clare Grendler,Marilyn Miller, Paulette Julson, Marsha Rusco, DebraAnderson, DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, chapterdirector Jaci Carufel, Donna Grendler and Lorena Palm.

Photos courtesy of Minnesota DHS

Members of Families Achieving Success Today (FAST), a pilotinitiative led by Ramsey County Workforce Solutions to provideintegrated and co-located employment and mental and physicalhealth services, celebrated their Circle of Excellence Award.Pictured left to right are Jane Samargia, executive director,HIRED; DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson; Patricia Brady,director of workforce development, Ramsey County; JillWiedemann-West, chief operating officer, People IncorporatedMental Health Services; Douglas Hanson, chief executive officer,Open Cities Health Center; and Michael Wirth-Davis, presidentand chief executive officer, Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota.

The Arc Greater Twin Cities received a three-yeargrant totaling $425,000 from the U.S. Department ofJustice Office on Violence against Women. The fund-ing will support an initiative aimed at greater justicefor victims of violence who have intellectual and de-velopmental disabilities.

The grant funds the development of a communityneeds assessment for victims with disabilities, whichwill be conducted jointly by The Arc Greater TwinCities and the Sexual Violence Center. The two orga-nizations will work with an outside consultant to de-velop plans.

UCare has hired Edith Dorsey as the nonprofithealth plan’s new Senior Vice President of Opera-tions. As a member of UCare’s senior managementteam, Dorsey will provide strategic guidance andexecutive leadership for UCare’s operations depart-ments including claims, customer service, and mem-bership billing and enrollment. She has fiscal respon-sibility for the accurate and timely processing of morethan 4.7 million claims annually and related audit andfraud investigation activity. Dorsey also oversees theresolution of UCare member and provider issues.

Dorsey most recently was associate vice presidentat Trizetto and executive client deployment leader atEventus Solutions, two Colorado health care consult-ing companies. She was responsible for deploying ini-tiatives to support integrated health care managementand the California Health Benefit Exchange, respec-tively. She lives in St. Paul. ■

The initiative complements The Arc Greater TwinCities’ Abuse Prevention Initiative, which started in2009. People with disabilities are at far greater riskfor abuse than people without disabilities and mostabuse is unreported. The Arc works closely with firstresponders to better serve the needs of victims withdisabilities, and educates persons with disabilities andtheir family members to recognize and report abuseand to live safely. Since the initiative’s official launchin 2011, more than 1,000 professionals and commu-nity members have received information and trainingon supporting individuals with disabilities who havebeen abused.

“People with intellectual and developmental disabili-ties are citizens, and they deserve equal justice,” saidKim Keprios, The Arc Greater Twin Cities CEO. “Thisimportant grant enables The Arc Greater Twin Cities totake our work to the next level and make a real differ-ence for our community’s most vulnerable residents.We’re looking forward to working with the SexualViolence Center to strengthening our practices and pro-cedures, ultimately better serving victim survivors.” ■

UCare names new vice president


ACCESSIBLE FUNWelcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun list-

ings. Readers looking for additional opportunities to en-joy the arts have these options:

For information on galleries and theater performancesaround the state join the Access to Performing Artsemail list at [email protected] or call VSA Minnesota,612-332-3888 or statewide 800-801-3883 (voice/TTY).To hear a weekly listing of accessible performances, call612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883. The web accessibleperformance listings at www.vsamn.org/calendar.html,www.mrid.org, www.accesspress.org, or http://c2net.org(c2: caption coalition, inc.), which does most of the cap-tioned shows in Minnesota and across the country.

Performances on Facebook; sign up to connect withAudio Description Across Minnesota (www.facebook.com/pages/Audio-Description-Across-Minnesota/202035772468). Connect with ASL Interpreted and Cap-tioned Performances across Minnesota on Facebookhttp://tinyurl.com/FBcaption

The Wizard of OzGREAT Theatre presents the story of Dorothy Gale

of Kansas, her dog Toto and the characters she meetsafter a twister carries her away, at College of Saint Ben-edict, Escher Auditorium, St. Joseph. ASL show is 7 p.m.Fri, Jan. 17. Tickets are $11-22. FFI: 320-259-5463,www.GreatTheatre.org

That led to legal action led by three residents’ fami-lies in 2009 and a $3 million class action settlement inDecember 2011. The settlement called for a numberof changes, including mandate training for DHS staff,emphasis to positive behavioral support, regular re-porting and completion of the federally required Olm-stead Plan. METO closed in late June 2011 and Min-nesota Specialty Health Systems opened in its place.

The families involved in the case are concernedthat the state isn’t acting in good faith. One huge redflag they raised at a November 2013 hearing is thatthe current Cambridge facility wasn’t licensed by thestate from July 1, 2011 until April 24, 2013. That is-sue was raised in June 2013 by a court monitor.

DHS officials admitted that they didn’t submit alicense application for the Cambridge facility untilFebruary 2012. That means the Cambridge facilityoperated without a license, in violation of the Decem-ber 2011 settlement agreement, for more than threemonths. In court document, DHS officials admittedthat violation and called it “inexcusable.”

“This violation is anything but a trivial or unimpor-tant matter,” Frank wrote in the memorandum. “Forexample, Cambridge residents and their families wereentitled to have a facility which complied with funda-mental legal requirements. This court is more than amere bystander to this very important settlementagreement where all parties promised to improve thelives of people with disabilities. The court furtherfinds that DHS consciously concealed and misled theplaintiffs and the court with regard to the lack of li-censure, or if not consciously concealed and misled,was indifferent to both the violation and the expecta-tion of candor with all parties, including the court;conceding the violation once it was reported by thecourt does not mitigate this in any way.”

The plaintiffs have asked that $150,000 be paidinto a fund set up for people with developmental dis-

METO settlement - from p. 1

The Petrified ForestLakeshore Players Theatre presents the suspense

thriller about a disenchanted man on his way to the for-est, at Lakeshore Players Theatre, 4820 Stewart Ave.,White Bear Lake. ASL show is 2 p.m. Sun, Jan. 19. (Ifno ASL seats are reserved within two weeks of the per-formance, the ASL-interpretation will be cancelled.) Tick-ets are reduced to $10 for ASL patrons (regular $20,senior/student $18). FFI: 651-429-5674, [email protected], www.lakeshoreplayers.com/Laura.html

MacbethMinnesota Opera presents Shakespeare’s classic tale

at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washing-ton St., St. Paul. Captioning: Sung in Italian with Englishcaptions projected above the stage at every performance:7:30 p.m. Sat, Jan. 25; 7:30 p.m. Tue, Jan. 28; 7:30 p.m.Thu, Jan. 30; 8 p.m. Sat, Feb. 1; 2 p.m. Sun, Feb. 2, ADshow is 2 p.m. Sun, Feb. 2; pre-opera discussion at 1 p.m.Tickets are reduced to half-price for AD patrons (regular$20-200). FFI: 612-333-6669, www.mnopera.org

Six Degrees of SeparationTheatre in the Round Players present a play based on

the true story of a charming young con man, at Theatrein the Round, 245 Cedar Ave., Mpls. AD show is 2 p.m.Sun, Jan. 26. Tickets are $22. Discounts available Fri. &Sun. for students (with ID) and seniors (62+). FFI:612-333-3010, www.theatreintheround.org

The Very Hungry Caterpillar andOther Eric Carle Favorites

Children’s Theatre Company presents Eric Carle’schildren’s stories at Children’s Theatre Company, UnitedHealth Group Stage, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls. AD andASL shows at 7 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31. Sensory Friendly showis 11 a.m. Sat, Feb. 8. (For 10% discount, use promo codeHUNGRY). Ask about special price rates for ASL/ADpatrons (regular $16-40). FFI: 612-874-0400;[email protected], www.childrenstheatre.org

The Putnam County Spelling BeeBloomington Theatre and Art Center presents the tale of six

young people vying for a spelling title, at Bloomington Cen-ter for the Arts, Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old ShakopeeRd, Bloomington. ASL show is 7:30 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31. ADshow is 7:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 7. Tickets are reduced to $25for AD/ASL (regular $32, $29 senior, $25 age 25 & under).FFI: 952-563-8575; boxoffice@btacmn. org, www.btacmn.org

The MittenStages Theatre Company presents a ballet-inspired

production of an old favorite, at Hopkins Center for theArts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins. ASL and AD shows are1 p.m. Sat, Feb. 1. Sensory-Friendly show is 10 a.m.Sat, Feb. 15. Tickets are $15, child/student $12; dis-count for AD/ASL/OC: $11, child/senior 60+: $9. FFI:952-979-1111, x4; www.stagestheatre.org

Highlights of the Target Wing: The SacredMinneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S. hosts

a free ASL-interpreted public tour on the first Sunday ofeach month at 1 p.m. begins by the Information Desk inthe museum lobby. Interpreted tours are also scheduledon other days. On the second Friday and Saturday ofeach month at 10:30 a.m., free tours are offered for visi-tors with memory loss, Alzheimer’s and their friends orcare partners. Assisted listening devices and wheel-chairs are available. FFI: 612-870-3131, 612-870-3140,TTY 612-870-3132; [email protected], www.artsmia.org

The Black SnowmanSteppingStone Theatre presents the story of a

snowman who comes to live when an African storytellingcloth is placed on his shoulders, at SteppingStone The-atre for Youth Development, 55 Victoria St. N., St. Paul.AD show is 7 p.m. Fri, Feb. 7. ASL show is 3 p.m. Sun,Feb. 9.Tickets are reduced to $10 access rate (regular$15; youth/senior 55+ $12). FFI: 651-225-9265, [email protected]

Five Course LoveMinneapolis Musical Theatre presents a show where

the characters are seeking true love, at New CenturyTheatre, 615 Hennepin Ave., #145, Mpls. AD and ASLshows are 5 p.m. Sun, Feb. 9. Tickets are $24-29; dis-count to $20 using promo code: ADASL. FFI: 612-455-9501, [email protected],www.hennepintheatretrust.org/events/five-course-love-tickets-new-century-theatre-minneapolis-musical-the-atre-2014 or www.aboutmmt.org/ ■

abilities and their families, and that $50,000 be paidto cover legal costs. While Frank December 17granted the motion for sanctions, he needs more timeto decide what those sanctions should be.

While the only issue before the court in the currentproceeding is the lack of proper state licensing, in hismemorandum Frank also expressed unhappiness atDHS’s “slow pace” in coming into compliance withwhat is now a two-year-old settlement.

The facility’s operating license was required by theoriginal settlement agreement. In December 2011, aspart of the federal class action settlement, DHS agreedto “immediately and permanently discontinue the useof mechanical restraint,” including handcuffs and otherdevices at Cambridge and all other state-operated fa-cilities serving people with developmental disabilities.

DHS Deputy Commissioner Anne Barry respondedto the order with a statement saying the legal settle-ment has “resulted in system-wide improvements inDepartment of Human Services facilities and in thelives of many of the clients we serve.”

DHS has also contended that it has made muchprogress in reducing the use of seclusion and restraintsthroughout its system, and that more people are beingmoved from state-run institutions to community set-tings. Another accomplishment in the settlement agree-ment is the recent completion of Minnesota’s OlmsteadPlan, which was released in October 2013.

An Olmstead Plan is a way for states to documentservices provided to individuals with disabilities inthe most integrated setting appropriate to the indi-vidual. Olmstead plans include analysis of current ser-vices, concrete commitments to increase integrationand to prevent unnecessary institutionalization, andspecific and reasonable timeframes, among othercomponents. One part of Minnesota’s plan is meant toguide expansion of the range of community andhome-based settings for people with disabilities. ■


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UPCOMING EVENTS

AdvocacyDiscuss legislative issues

The Arc Greater Twin Cities invites residents of Sen-ate District 63 to discuss issues affecting people withintellectual and developmental disabilities and their fami-lies at a legislative visit with elected officials, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Thu, Jan. 16 at Minnehaha United Methodist Church,3701 E. 50th St., Room 310, Mpls. It is hosted byAntonietta Giovanni. Elected officials invited to partici-pate are Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, Rep. Jim Davnie,Rep. Jean Wagenius, Hennepin County CommissionerPeter McLaughlin, Minneapolis City Council Member An-drew Johnson, Minneapolis Park Board District 5 Repre-sentative Steffanie Musich and At-Large Members AnnieYoung and Meg Forney, Minneapolis School Boardmembers Alberto Monserrate, Richard Mammen andRebeca Gagnon, and Metropolitan Council Representa-tive Adam Duininck. Elected officials need to know aboutthe concerns of constituents who have disabilities andtheir families. Participants can educate state and localpolicymakers by sharing their stories and perspectiveson issues such as transportation, special education, rec-reation, Consumer Directed Community Supports,county case management services, Medical Assistanceand state budget issues impacting Hennepin County.The event is free but participants should pre-register byWed, Jan. 15. FFI: 952-915-3665,[email protected]

Youth and familiesPACER offers workshops

PACER Center offers many useful free or low-costworkshops and other resources for families of childrenwith any kind of disabilities. Workshops are at PACERCenter, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, unlessspecified. Advance registration is required for all work-shops. Check out PACER’s website and link to a newbimonthly newsletter of workshops statewide that allowsparticipants to pick and choose sessions catered to theirneeds. One upcoming workshop is Swapping Shoes andFinding Clues: Understanding Learning Styles and Find-ing Technology Solutions for Individuals Struggling withReading, Writing, and Attention Skills, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Tue, Jan. 14 at PACER Center. It can be difficult to com-prehend how learning feels from the perspective ofsomeone with reading, writing, or attention disabilities.Through exercises and simulations, this workshop forparents and professionals will demonstrate that feeling,and explore how the right technologies can match learn-ing styles to promote successful learning. Disabilitiessuch as ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and visualchallenges will be addressed, and multiple technologieswill be covered. No prior AT knowledge is needed. FFI:952-838-9000, 800-537-2237 (toll free), www.PACER.org

Information and assistanceVet Connection Group meets in Minneapolis

NAMI Vet Connection gives veterans the opportunityto talk with other veterans and share their experiences,and the successes and hardships of the reintegration pro-cess. The group meets 2:15-3:45 p.m. Mondays at the MplsVA, 1 Veterans Drive, in Room 1B-102 (1st floor). FFI:Rebecca, 612-801-7415 or Brian, 651-645-2948 x116.

UCare meetingsUCare hosts informational meetings about its UCare

for Seniors Medicare Advantage plan, as well as infor-mational meetings about the UCare’s new UCareChoices and Fairview UCare Choices health plans avail-able on MNsure, Minnesota’s health insurance market-place. Learn about the various plans, as well as keydates and penalties associated with health care reform.Meetings are held all over the region. UCare for Seniorshas more than 75,000 members across Minnesota andwestern Wisconsin. UCare serves Medicare-eligible indi-viduals and families enrolled in income-based MinnesotaHealth Care Programs, such as Minnesota Care and Pre-paid Medical Assistance Program; adults with disabilitiesand Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health condi-tions and Minnesotans dually eligible for Medical Assis-tance and Medicare FFI: 1-877-523-1518, www.ucare.org

Mental health support offeredNAMI-MN offers free support groups for families who

have a relative with a mental illness. NAMI has abouttwo dozen family support groups, more than 20 supportgroups for people living with a mental illness, anxiety sup-port groups, groups for veterans and other groups. Led bytrained facilitators, groups provide help and support. FFI:651-645-2948. A full calendar of all events is offered online.

Partners and Spouses support group meets 6:45 p.m.the first Tue of each month at Falcon Heights UnitedChurch of Christ, 1795 Holton St. FFI: Lois, 651-788-1920, or Donna, 651-645-2948 ext. 101. Open DoorAnxiety and Panic support, meets at 6:30 p.m. the firstand third Thu at Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van DykeSt., St. Paul and 6:30-6 p.m. on the second and fourthThu at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N.,St. Paul. FFI: 651-645-2948.

NAMI Connection peer support group for adults are

led by trained facilitators who are also in recovery leadNAMI Connection groups. One group meets at 6:30 p.m.on the fourth Tue. A group meets at 6:30 p.m., on thefourth Tue of the month, at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553Fairview Av., St. Paul (The group previously met atLutheran Church of the Redeemer.) FFI: Shelly,651-228-1645. Bi-weekly adult recovery groups meet at6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wed at CentennialUnited Methodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West,Roseville. FFI: Will, 651-578-3364.

A family support group meets in St. Paul on the sec-ond Wed of each month from at 6-7:30 p.m., at Good-will-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul, in room123. FFI: Sonja, 651-357-2077. A family support groupmeets in Oakdale on the second and fourth Tue of eachmonth, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at Canvas Health, 7066Stillwater Blvd., in the community room. FFI: Dan, 651-341-8918. A group also meets at 6:30 p.m. on the sec-ond and fourth Wed of each month at Centennial UnitedMethodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West, on the sec-ond and fourth Wednesdays of the month. FFI: AnneMae, 651-730-8434

Volunteer, DonateShare a smileBrighten the day of a senior citizen in north or southwestMinneapolis and have fun. Visit an elder and do thingstogether: movies, games, crafts or just friendly conversa-tion. Hang out with an elder on a regular basis and dothings that you both enjoy, like watching a movie, buildingstuff, playing games or friendly conversation. One-timeor ongoing opportunities through the NIP Senior Pro-gram. FFI: Jeanne, 612-746-8549, [email protected] or www.neighborhoodinvolve.org

Open the Door to EducationHelp adults reach their educational goals and earn theirGED. Tutor, teach or assist in a classroom with the Min-nesota Literacy Council. Give just 2-3 hours a week andhelp people expand their opportunities and change theirlives through education. The literacy council providestraining and support and accommodations for volunteerswith disabilities. FFI: Allison, 651-251-9110,[email protected], www.mnliteracy.org/volun-teers/opportunities/adults. ■

Pay attention to proposed income, asset changesThe Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabili-

ties is alerting everyone to a waiver request and its con-sequences. The Minnesota Department of Human Ser-vices (DHS) has submitted its 1115 waiver request to theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) to allow for Minnesota to continue to dis-regard income and assets of a spouse whenthe other spouse uses HCBS waiver services.The request would affect married couples withone spouse using HCBS waiver services for personswith disabilities under the age of 65.

Minnesota needs this federal waiver because the ACArequires all states to apply the spousal anti-impoverish-ment rules (designed for senior couples where one is go-ing into a nursing home facility) to couples under age 65

with one using HCBS waiver services in the community.Changing what Minnesota is now doing for anti-

impoverishment provisions could be very disruptive andpossibly result in some individuals losing Medical Assis-

tance (MA) HCBS services. If you, or someoneyou know, would be impacted by changes tospousal anti-impoverishment provisions, stateofficials need to hear the community’s stories,either at a hearing or in writing by Jan. 22.

Written comments can be submitted to:[email protected]

Testimony can be given 1-4 p.m. Tue, Jan. 14 at theRoom 6146, Department of Human Services, 444Lafayette Rd., St. Paul. The consortium has additionalinformation at www.mnccd.org ■


Lewis Park Apartments: Barrier-free housing withwheelchair users in mind. Section 8 subsidized. One-and two-bedroom units. For more information onavailability call 651-488-9923. St. Paul, MN. EqualOpportunity Housing.

Oak Park Village: We are accepting applications forthe waiting list for one-bedroom wheelchair acces-sible apartments. Section 8 subsidized. ConvenientSt. Louis Park location. Call 952-935-9125 for infor-mation. Equal Opportunity Housing.

Calvary Center Apts: 7650 Golden Valley Road,Golden Valley, MN. A Section 8 building nowaccepting applications for our waiting list. Call 9 amto 4 pm, Mon – Fri 763-546-4988 for an application.Equal Opportunity Housing.

Holmes-Greenway Housing: One- and two-bed-room wheelchair-accessible apartments. Section 8subsidized. Convenient SE Minneapolis location. Call612-378-0331 for availability information. Equal Op-portunity Housing.

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Radio Talking BookJanuary Sampling

Abbreviations: V - violence, L - offensive language, S - sexual situations.

Books available through FaribaultBooks broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking

Book Network are available through the MinnesotaBraille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Call1-800-722-0550, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Fri-day.

The catalog is online at www.mnbtbl.org, click on thelink Search the Library Catalog. Persons living outside ofMinnesota may obtain copies of books via inter-libraryloan by contacting their home state’s Network Library forthe National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, eitherlive or archived programs from the previous week, on theInternet at www.mnssb.org/rtb. Call the Talking BookLibrary for a password to the site. To find more informa-tion about Minnesota Radio Talking Book Networkevents go to the Facebook site at http://tinyurl.com/RadioTalkBook. Audio information about the daily booklistings is also on NFB Newslines. Register for NFBNewslines by calling 651-539-1424.

Access Press is one of the publications featured at9 p.m. Sundays on the program It Makes a Difference.

Weekend Program BooksYour Personal World (Saturday at 1 p.m.) is airing

The Slow Fix, by Carl Honore; For the Younger Set(Sunday at 11 a.m.) is airing Magicalamity, by KateSaunders; Poetic Reflections (Sun at noon) is airing TheYear of What Now, by Brian Russell, and Scratching theGhost, by Dexter L. Booth; The U.S. and Us (Sunday at4 p.m.) is airing Black White Blue, by William Swanson.

Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.Gold Rush in the Jungle, Nonfiction by Dan Drollette,

Jr., 2013. 10 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 21. Where the bor-ders of Vietnam meet those of Laos and Cambodia, is aregion known as “the lost world.” Large mammals never

before seen by Western science have shown up fre-quently in these mountains. Read by Chris Colestock.

Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m.Here Is Where, Nonfiction by Andrew Carroll, 2013.

17 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 20. Andrew Carroll has trav-eled America exploring locations where remarkable indi-viduals lived and extraordinary moments occurred. Theplaces we pass by often harbor amazing secrets. Readby John Potts.

Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m.The Honey Thief, Fiction by Najaf Mazri and Robert

Hillman, 2013. Eight broadcasts. Begins Jan. 20. In aworld of bloodshed and brotherhood, miracles and catas-trophes, magic and wonder help people endure astonish-ing extremes. This is the case with the Hazara, the thirdlargest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Read by Leila Poullada.

The Writer’s Voice • Monday – Friday 2 p.m.The Shape of the Eye, Nonfiction by George Estreich,

2013. 13 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 27. When Laura wasborn, the family was puzzled about the shape of her eyes,which might indicate Down syndrome or a Japanesegrandmother. As she aged, she took her place in theEstreich family as a unique child. Read by Yelva Lynfield.

Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m.The Afterlife of Emerson Tang, Fiction by Paula

Champa, 2013. 12 broadcasts. Begins Jan. 21. EmersonTang’s prize possession is a car, a 1954 Beacon. Whenhis health begins to fail, his caretaker is approached bya French man determined to buy the car at any cost.Then they discover that it has been compromised. Thenanother finds them, the heir to the ruined Beacon MotorCompany. Read by Beth Marie Hansen.

PM Report • Monday – Friday 8 p.m.Nuclear Roulette, Nonfiction by Gar Smith, 2012. 14

broadcasts. Begins Jan. 15. The nuclear industry wouldhave the public believe it is a safe source of energy; that

is not so. There is an average of one major disaster ev-ery decade, while “near misses” occur monthly. Read byArt Nyhus.

Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m.Crime of Privilege, Fiction by Walter Walker, 2013. 17

broadcasts. Begins Jan. 28. When George is corneredby the father of a young woman slain years before, andasked why certain leads were never explored, he agreesto look into it. This murder and a rape in Palm Beachhave nothing in common but the presence of an Ameri-can family of privilege. L - Read by Neil Bright.

Off the Shelf • Monday – Friday 10 p.m.Sweet Salt Air, Fiction by Barbara Delinsky, 2013. 15

broadcasts. Begins Jan. 13. Once best friends, manyyears and secrets have kept Charlotte and Nicole apart.When Nicole, a food blogger, is commissioned to write abook about island food, she invites Charlotte back to herMaine island house for a summer, to help. What bothwomen don’t know is that they are each holding some-thing back that may change their lives forever. L - Readby Nikki LaLiberte.

Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnightDirty Love, Fiction by Andre Dubus III, 2013. 13

broadcasts. Begins Jan. 20. Slivered by happiness anddiscontent, shadowed by aging and death but also hopeand forgiveness, Dubus expresses tenderness towardhumans, our vulnerable hearts and bodies, our fulfillingand unfulfilling lives alone and with others. L, S – Readby Dan Sadoff.

After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.The Fairest of Them All, Fiction by Carolyn Turgeon,

2013. Nine broadcasts. Begins Jan. 24. Rapunzel’sadoptive mother, the witch Mathena, gives her a wed-ding present when she is to marry the king who hadclimbed her tower years before. But the present, a mir-ror, speaks to her and she falls under its spell. S - Readby Kristi Sullivan. ■

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